An Open Letter to Victims and Family Members of Future US Mass Shootings

I realize that, while I am grieving for the people who died in Las Vegas, as well as for those who loved them, I must also reserve room for all of you who will have been the victims and loved ones of victims of mass shootings to come. After all, we have a pretty strong track record of this kind of thing. We average one mass killing per day in the US. The same day that the massacre in Las Vegas occurred, three people were shot and killed at the University of Kansas. Another two were injured.

It’s a given that you, the future victims and family of victims of mass shootings, will someday, sooner or later, be impacted. It’s also a given that, when that occurs, people will grieve. They will grieve for you, or you will greive for others. CNN may or may not cover the particular mass shooting that has affected you, as it will depend on the extent of the carnage. The U of Kansas incident was simply too insignificant to be reported. It was not insignificant, though, for the families and loved ones of the slain.

In each future mass shooting that will occur, some politicians will call for gun control. Their voices will be overridden by those who are against gun control. The reasons to maintain the status quo will be the same as they always have been.

I don’t know whether you are a staunch defender of the Second Amendment or if you sign petitions in favor of gun control. I don’t know if you are a liberal or a conservative. I don’t know if you voted for Trump or for Hilary. I don’t know if you carry a firearm or if even the thought of that is enough to give you an anxiety attack.

I do know that you will be a casuality in some way. Either you will not survive or you will mourn the loss of someone dear to your heart. As in Las Vegas, it may be a spouse, a parent, a sibling, a lover, a child, a grandchild. For that I am more than sorry. I am bereft. And for those of you who will lose a child or grandchild, I have no words. There are no words.

You may experience such loss and it may have no impact on your thoughts about being anti-gun control. You may revert to the tried and true mantra, “People don’t kill people. Guns kill people.” If that gives you peace, so be it. Or you may believe that God, alone, has chosen to take your loved one. If that gives you peace, so be it. You deserve peace. If you are in favor of gun control, your loss will be even more difficult than it needs to be. You will know that you live in a country, this country that you love so dearly, that allows tragedies like this to occur on a daily basis. No other country in the world comes even close to what we choose to do to ourselves, all in the name of “freedom.”

Each life we lose is a loss of great magnitude. Each person who loses a loved one lives through a loss of great magnitude. Whatever your political persuasion, whatever your belief about guns, you, the future victims, will either lose your life or you will suffer the loss of someone closest to your heart. And you will carry that loss while the rest of us move on, toward the next mass shooting and the next set of irreparable losses.

OMG so true. You are SO SO right, and what a tragedy that is! Come on America, what the HELL are you doing???? Thank you for using your power for good, LBL; I’m with you, from here in Australia, gabrielle

Yes, money and letters to Congress. Until these politicians start losing their seats because of their votes on gun control, instead of winning their seats because of taking the money from the NRA, things won’t change.

Renee, well done, my friend. It is so infuriating that we cannot improve gun governance after 20 kids are massacred, or after Orlando, or after….fill in the blank. We must act to introduce at least what the significant majority of Americans want. But, we need to go further. The NRA is correct in one thing, guns don’t kill people. It is people with access to guns that kill people. Too many die every day. There are logical things that can be done, which won’t solve all problems, but will solve some of them. Keith

I keep saying that no words, tears, no marches, no vigils, no amount of sane reasons, no number of slain children, can compete with the dollar. Until the NRA is prevented from funding Congress, nothing will change.

Reblogged this on bone&silver and commented:
I’ve been sitting comfortably here in Australia, devastated by yet another US fuck up, wondering how the hell to write about the shooting? This blogger who just turned 70, and who I’ve followed for at least 5 years, did it way better than I ever could. And through my cynical fears, I also ask ‘What about the folks still suffering in Puerto Rico?? What a terribly distracting coincidence…’

I also saw a great comment: ‘How come gun ownership is a right, yet medical care to save your life after being shot is considered a privilege you must pay for?’ Good question America. And probably the first and best answer I have is to get rid of your goddamn President!

Thanks for the reblog and for these comments. And, speaking of our “goddamn President,” all sources indicate that he is a slam dunk for reelection, even with a minority popular vote and an ever-falling approval rating. That’s how broken our system is, that we have created a fundamental disparity between popular sentiment and political sucess. It’s pretty astonishing that this is what we’ve come to. I am ashamed of this country that I love so dearly.

I’m hoping I overreacted when I saw all the mainstream websites saying he had a good shot at a reelection. If the Supreme Court votes against the gerrymandering case, that might help change things. And then there’s the Russia investigation. Last, his base is eroding v-e-r-y slowly. So I’m backing off my “slam dunk” prediction. It’s still shameful that his admnistration has gotten so far.

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